Origins
by ClusiveC
Summary: War has no room for the weak and unprepared. This war against Covenant has brought Choren to the world of Paris IV, where the fight to save this planet has just begun.


**Origins**

**Act I - Chapter I**

**3 February 2549**

**Paris IV**

"In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons."

-Herodotus

* * *

"Do you ever wonder why we're here - fighting this war?" She asked me.

The stars up above had always symbolized peace to me. They'd represented the millions of souls who had moved on to a better place, one where the worries of life were no longer a problem. Right now, as I looked up at them, I couldn't feel a trace of those old thoughts. I believed in God, but I knew that space was far from safe. The stars no longer welcomed the questions that they brought forth: Is anybody out there? What's it like on the other side of the galaxy? Can we find a better place to live? The stars had progressed from that stage a long time ago. They weren't friendly guardians anymore. Now they were only evidence that humanity isn't alone in the universe. The grass beneath me was soft and cool to the touch. It'd been so long since I was last able to rest like this. I was lying on my back, resting my head on my helmet. I moved my bare fingers along the cushiony blades of grass, enjoying the feel of it.

I thought hard about her question, but I didn't answer it. A long time ago, as a young elementary student, I'd picked up a tendency to speak on rare occasions. Ever since I've known her, she's always been eager to hear my thoughts.

We weren't fighting a war. We were merely surviving. Survival is a basic instinct of humankind. Those who weren't here - those who have died in the struggle for survival - are the ones who don't have to wake up to a nightmare any longer. Because the fact of the matter was that the Covenant was _real_, and the extermination of our species was _real. _Just the thought of that sent splintering chills through the length of my veins. We can't hide from facts. We have to take them and put up with them as best we can. The reason why I'm here is unclear to me. In my short time of service, I've seen enough near-death experiences to last a life time. I can't exactly figure out why I made it and so many others hadn't. It's a question that every warrior asks when they're off the frontlines.

"I'm afraid." She whispered.

I tilted my head to the right and looked over at Aloe. She was sitting crossed-legged, resting her elbows on her knees. Her dark red hair was like a silky curtain that hid the face behind it. I've known her since elementary school. We've been close friends ever since. Aloe talked to me about everything. When she'd found out about me signing up to join the ranks of the ODSTs, she hadn't hesitated to come in with me. I wouldn't have survived boot camp without the comfort of someone else that I know. There is something about Aloe that most other people didn't have. I don't know what it is. She's smart and brave. Braver than me, in fact. It was very rare to hear her admit that she's scared.

"We all are. Fear is the reason why I decided to join the military. It's the reason why we're trying so hard to survive in the first place." I told her.

Aloe looked at me. There were dark lines beneath her eyes from lack of sleep. She yawned, casting a light sound of breathing in the still quietness.

"I'm gonna get some rest. You should too, Choren." Aloe told me. I nodded slightly and looked back up at the sky. She stretched out on the ground and rested on her side with her back facing me.

It'd been a long day and a half. Our unit had dropped into the colony world of Paris IV about 37 hours ago, and the fighting hadn't ended until about 2 hours ago. That's 35 hours of combat, almost non stop. We don't have a temporary firebase set up. We just have a huge perimeter stretching about 5 miles in all directions, with a bunch of crudely built fires scattered all over the place for warmth. I'm glad that I don't have to be on guard duty. There was another group of ODSTs about 40 yards to my left, standing around a fire. I could hear the small chatter coming from them. The situation reminded me of a vacation trip that our church took back when I was 6.

I remember how everyone had camped out for the night. Birds had been chirping their peaceful songs, and crickets had been making their weird buzzing noise. I hadn't wanted to go on the trip for some reason, but I can't remember why. My parents brought me along anyway. It was a grand experience. A memory that I'll have for the rest of my life, however long that might be. Next to me, Aloe was breathing lightly. She'd drifted off to sleep pretty fast. I've always been more of an insomniac, having a hard time being able to get to sleep. So I decided to pay my visit to Lieutenant Barnes.

I sat up and picked my helmet up off of the ground, giving it a few slaps to get a few blades of grass out of it. Sliding the helmet on, I took a quick look around. ODSTs were scattered about all over the perimeter, doing what ever it was that needed to be doing. Some were sleeping, some were talking to each other, and some were carrying equipment around. I was looking for one in particular, the _eltee_. Officers were the ones who organized the troops and made the important tactical decisions. A battle can't be won without someone in charge. So that meant that Lieutenant Barnes wouldn't be off to the east, which was where we'd pushed the Covenant back from. The east was more prone to an attack than any other spot. The guy in charge wouldn't be in the vulnerable spot. So I thought about the next best place that Barnes would be. Which might be somewhere to the south, which was where we had our backs against a large ocean.

Negative.

In a critical situation, the important people are always the ones who need to get away. They're the ones who have the most information. You capture those people, you get a lot of useful information from them. So with that in mind, I figured that Barnes wouldn't be sitting directly against the 'wall'. If we got overran, he wouldn't have an avenue of escape. It would be a situation where he would be forced to either surrender and risk being interrogated by Covenant, which he wouldn't resist, or where he would have no choice but to fight to the death. I figured that he didn't need, nor want to die. The UNSC doesn't need any more dead heroes. Barnes was much more valuable to us alive than dead. So with that in mind, I assumed that he wouldn't be in the southern direction.

I stood up and took off walking to the northern edge of the perimeter. Aloe didn't wake as I walked past her in search of Barnes. I was supposed to go and see him about something when I had the time. My boots made a light _crunch _sound as I stepped across the grass, beating in an even rhythm. The VISR in my helmet was switched off, and I decided to switch it on. Outlines of everything within a thousand meters became visible in the low light, and everything got a few shades brighter. Lieutenant Barnes was standing with a few other ODSTs, talking quietly. He saw me as I approached.

"Corporal, how are you?" Barnes asked me.

"Green, sir."

"Glad to hear it. I've got a job for you - something that I know you're capable of handling."

I stepped closer to them, switching my VISR off as I got within heat range of the fire. The light of the flames cast the shadows of all of the ODSTs. Barnes had his helmet off, carrying it in his hand. His face was hard to make out in the dim light. Shadows from the fire played across his round head, revealing a strap of peach-fuzz on his chin. On the outside, he looked like a brute of a man, standing a full head taller than anybody else. Years of experience were shown on both his armor and his skin.

"What do you need?" I asked him.

"A scout team, Choren. I'm ready to get the skies cleared up so that our birds can fly in. We can't do that with those Covenant AA batteries set up. You saw what happened to the longsword squadrons."

I nodded. Nearly 50 longsword fighters had been taken out when we first dropped in. Those AA guns had deadly efficiency. Several of the guys from our unit had been killed by them on our way down. Barnes continued speaking.

"Step one is for us to locate the Covenant base in this area, the one that has the AA weapons. If we do that, we'll know the source of any Covenant attacks, which will give us a major advantage. We'll know where to deploy most of our defenses. And we'll have a good idea of how many of them we're actually dealing with. We've killed a lot of 'em since we've been here, but we both know that there is always more." He took out a small book from his fieldsack and held it in his hands. I couldn't tell what book it was, but it was small and thick.

"Step two is going to be battle prepping. I'm going to deploy several teams around the enemy base to have them completely surrounded. This is going to be cautious, because I don't want them to know what we're up to. We can't let them catch wind of us setting up. They'll tear into our plans and we'll get heavy casualties. Step three is the final step - an all-out assault. We'll have them flanked on all sides. It's our best plan of attack."

I thought about the plan. It sounded good. In theory, it should work to 100% efficiency. The only problem with it, that I could see, was that nothing ever worked to 100% efficiency with Covenant. Variables change drastically in the span of a few minutes. They were stupid and unpredictable, and highly dangerous. But we didn't have much of a choice.

"But before we can do anything, I need you to initiate step one. Round up a team for a Hunter patrol. We drove the Covenant out in the east, so we can assume that they're set up somewhere off in that direction. Once you locate their position, get back here as soon as possible." He said. "Time isn't on our side. It never is."

The flames of the fire kicked around wildly and quietly. Shallow smoke rose up from the small inferno, inking the air. My throat felt too dry. My hands felt too shaky. Everything suddenly got very tight. It was ironic, in a weird sense. I've been training since I first signed up to kill Covenant, yet I felt afraid to actually go out and hunt them.

"I'll go with you." One of the ODSTs said. He was carrying his helmet and I recognized him as Luke. He was shorter than most people. I'd first met him back in boot camp, after we both had gotten sent to the PT Pits for an entire week.

"Count me in, too." Another one said. A new guy, fresh out of boot camp. He had his helmet on, but I was able to read his name plate in the low-light. His name was Bane, but other than the fact that he was an ODST, there was nothing obviously destructive about him. Right away, I'd realized Bane as being a passive person. It didn't matter. As long as I could rely on him, we'd be good.

"Ohkay. Meet me at the eastern perimeter watch in 15. Bring only a few rations, and all the ammo that you have. We'll be traveling light." I told them. They both nodded, and headed off to gather their equipment. Lieutenant Barnes flipped open the book in his hands and stared at a page in it.

"I've been carrying this thing around with me since I first signed up." Barnes said, giving the small book a shake. "Everything I've been through is recorded in here. I don't know what I'm writing it for, to be honest. I wanted to send it to my wife shortly after I graduated from boot camp, but..." His words trailed off. "It doesn't matter. I'm glad I have you in my unit, Choren. I know I can count on you. Get back here alive, marine. That's an order."

"Yes, sir." Barnes closed his journal and walked off. The grass made a small crunching sound as his boots hit the ground.

I paused and thought for a moment, and then I headed off to gather my equipment. The walk back to my spot was uneventful, just like it'd been when I left it. Aloe was still asleep. I knelt down and gave her a small shove. "Hey, get up." She stirred and opened her eyes, looking up at me. "We're going for a patrol and I need you with me. I'll fill you in on the details in a minute, just hurry up and get prepped. Ammo only, 'cept for maybe a few rations. I don't know how long we're going to be gone."


End file.
